Virginia State Flag

Virginia is a state in the US lying in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic part of the country Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. The design of the flag was based on one side of the original seal of the state. The seal of Virginia was two-sided more like that of a coin. The side which was used on the flag is placed against a blue background. It was first adopted at the beginning of the American civil war in 1861 after Virginia was liberated from Great Britain. The seal, however, was later standardized by the General Assembly in February 1950. According to the survey of North American Vexillological Association carried out in 2001, the flag of the state of Virginia was ranked the 54th out of 72 flags in North America.

History of the State Flag

Virginia State got its independence in May 1776 from Britain, and in July the same year, the Virginia leaders appointed a committee of four men who would be in charge of designing a seal. The four men included George Wythe, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, and Robert Carter Nicholas. The design was presented to the Virginia government after four days and was approved on the same day. It is believed that ancient Rome mythology inspired the design of the seal because of the admiration the Virginia leaders had for the Roman republic, besides, the leaders did not want the seal to resemble the coat of arms of Great Britain.

Design of the Virginia Flag

The seal had two sides, and it was used as an inspiration to design the flag. The obverse side of the seal was used to design the flag of the state of Virginia. The obverse of the seal used on the flag, there is a picture of Virtus, a female personifying the Roman goddess of virtue which is shown holding a spear in her right hand with the sharp end facing downwards towards the earth. She is also seen holding a sheathed sword (parazonium) in her left hand pointing upwards as a sign of authority and the end of the war. Beneath her is a depiction of a fallen king, which is portrayed by the image of a man wearing a purple robe with a fallen crown. The fallen crown symbolizes the release of the state of Virginia as a new republic from the control of Great Britain. The whip he is holding in his hands shows the acts of punishment that was meted out to Virginia and the broken chain depicts the liberation from Great Britain in economic development such as trade and expansions. In the design, there are words above and below the figures, the words are Virginia and sic semper tyrannis which is a quote derived from the events that took place in Roman history specifically, the slaying of Caesar.

Dimensions of the State Flag

The dimensions of the flag of the state of Virginia are specific, and they are in the ratio of 7:11 for the fly height to the hoist width, implying that it should be seven units tall for every 11 units wide. It is also a requirement that when the flag is displayed outdoors, it should be flown on a flag post that is at least two and half times longer than the flag itself. Since the flag was adopted in 1861, there have been some minor changes, twice in the 20th century.